Freedom
Throughout Wheatley's poetry, freedom often recurs as an important theme. In her "To the Right Honourable WILLIAM, Earl of DARTMOUTH, his Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State of North-America, &c." she personifies Freedom, giving it immense power within the poem and describing its importance to her given her seizure from Africa and her enslavement in America. In her letter to Mary Wooster, Wheatley denounces enslavement, describing how Christians cannot assert their virtue while "hold[ing] in bondage Afric's blameless race." In "On Imagination," the fetters placed on Fancy also suggest a need for freedom, and the power of Winter over the speaker suggests that the speaker is enslaved or overpowered by Winter, but wants to be free.
Religion
Religion figures prominently in Wheatley's work, and she often includes Greek and Roman mythological gods and heroes alongside Christian figures. In "To S.M. a young African Painter, on seeing his Works," she alludes to Jerusalem and to the Greek Damon and Roman Aurora, juxtaposing the two as she notes how the muses will fall away when her soul goes to heaven, and art will be lost to her forever.
Kidnapping and Forced Relocation
Phillis Wheatley's seizure from Africa and forced relocation to America is also a major theme in her works. In "To the Right Honourable WILLIAM, Earl of DARTMOUTH, his Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State of North-America, &c." Wheatley describes her kidnapping from Africa, and discusses the pain her family must feel from her forced relocation.
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy, especially the hypocrisy of Christians who support the enslavement of Africans, features prominently in Wheatley's poetry. In "On Being Brought from Africa to America" Wheatley reminds Christians who see black people as "diabolic" that all Christians are equal in heaven. In her letter to Mary Wooster, Wheatley reinforces this perspective by denouncing Christians who believe they can achieve salvation while still supporting the enslavement of black people.
Death
Death features prominently in Phillis Wheatley's works, as she rose to prominence with an elegy (a lament for someone who has died), and about 1/3 of her published work is elegiac. Death is also prevalent in her non-elegiac works, and in "To S.M. a Young African Painter, on seeing his Works," the speaker contemplates the role of art after death, and how art will become redundant and inaccessible in heaven.
Salvation
Salvation features prominently in many of Wheatley's poems. In "To S.M. a Young African Painter, on seeing his Works," Wheatley considers the road to salvation, and how art will no longer be accessible in heaven. In "On Being Brought from Africa to America," Wheatley reminds Christians that black people will join them in heaven. Wheatley's contemplations of heaven and salvation also question how Christians can believe in salvation without believing in freedom for enslaved Africans in America.
Knowledge versus ignorance
Wheatley often contends with knowledge and ignorance, as many of her poems indicate her knowledge of the African home she was stolen from, and question the ignorance of Christians and white Americans who believe in the enslavement of black people. In "To the Right Honourable WILLIAM, Earl of DARTMOUTH, his Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State of North-America, &c.," Wheatley challenges the belief that freedom is possible for any Americans without the emancipation of its enslaved Africans. She also refutes the ignorance of Christians who believe that they can achieve salvation while enslaving Africans in her letter to Mary Wooster.
